Do GMPs really ensure the quality of herbs and supps?

Are GMPs—Good Manufacturing Practices, which the FDA now requires supplements companies to follow as of June 2010—enough to ensure the quality of herbs and supplements? Perhaps not, says Mitch Coven, clinical herbalist and president of Vitality Works, a private label and contract manufacturers of herbal products.

I heard Coven speak over the weekend in Albuquerque, NM, where he gave an informative and inspiring presentation about quality, sourcing and processing of Mother Tinctures.

Here, he shares the best ways retailers can assess the quality of products they stock on their shelves and what questions shoppers can ask retailers about products.